Biodiesel Production from Oleaginous Fungi

Biodiesel involves the mixture of fatty acyl methyl/ethyl esters, produced from transesterification neutral lipids and if the origin of the source is from oleaginous micro organisms, then it is termed as micro diesel. In the present work, aiming to exploit fungi for biodiesel production, 12 fungal isolates were screened for lipid content by Sudan Black B staining method. Among 12 isolates, lipid rich five species viz, Mortierella alpina , M.ramanianna, M.vinancea, M.hyalina and M.verticella have been taken for fatty acids analysis by spectrophotometry, which revealed that the amount of free fatty acids were ranged from highest in M.alpina 35 ?moles of Oleic acid , 25 ?moles of Palmitic acid and 14 ?moles of Myristic acids to lower as much as 21 ?moles of Oleic acid , 18 ?moles of Palmitic acid and 16 ?moles of Myristic acids respectively in M.ramanianna

Microalgae Cultivation in Different pH, Temperature and Media for Lipid Production

Lipids produced by microalgal biomass can be grouped into nonpolar lipids and polar lipids, which can be easily converted into biofuels. Microalgal samples were collected from three different ponds of Bangalore and cultured in the laboratory to find the effect of different pH, temperature and media on the production of biomass and lipids. Among these, pH-9, temperature -25 ° C and Beneck’s media was most suitable for production of biomass (35.80 g/L) and lipids from the isolated microalgae Chlorella sp. compare to Chladospora sp. (13.33 g/L). Chlorella sp. Showed 0.32 (OD) at pH-9, 0.43 (OD) at temperature-25 ° C and 2.94 (OD) in Beneck’s media. Our result revealed that nutrient supply along with measured variables affects the production of biomass and lipids in different microalgae. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijls.v8i2.10227 International Journal of Life Sciences Vol.8(2): 2014; 13-1

High-frequency plant regeneration and histological analysis of callus in Cichorium intybus: An important medicinal plant

An efficient in vitro propagation and in vitro flowering protocols were developed for the medicinal plant Cichorium intybus (Asteraceae) using leaf disc explants. Media supplemented with the growth regulator naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) (1.5 mg/l) + 6-benzyle adenine (0.25 mg/l) was used for the initial induction of the callus and further subcultured to the same media for the proliferation of the callus. Pale yellow and green calli were noticed, which depends on incorporation of the growth hormones and their varying concentrations. Murashige and Skoog medium in addition with 2 mg/l kinetin+ 0.5 mg/l indole-3-acetic acid (IBA) + 500 mg/l casein hydrolysate resulted in maximum regeneration. Media supplemented via IBA (0.5 mg/l) and NAA (0.5 mg/l) (98%) was found to beoptimum for rhizogenesis for in vitro regenerated plants. For acclimatization 5-6 weeks mature in vitro regenerated plants were transferred into the greenhouse for acclimatization. The histological study revealed the presence actively dividing meristematic cells in callus. The occurrence of the peripheral meristematic zone associated with callus was noticed in after 20 days, which formed the shoot meristems after 45 days of incubation. To our knowledge, this is the first report on high-frequency plant regeneration which was carried out indirectly from theleaf explants which was grown in controlled environment with varying concentration of the growth regulators and histology of callus of different stages from leaf explants of C. intybus

Synthesis, characterization of novel furan based imidazolones and their boilogical studies

Heterocyclic derivatives are of various pharmacological activities. The five membered rings, imidazole moiety is present in wide range of naturally occurring molecules, for example furan is a five membered heterocyclic nucleus which contain oxygen atom as heteroatom having broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities against microbes and fungal strains. Results: We prepared a series of 3-(4-Acetyl-phenyl)-5-arylidene-2-furan-2-yl-3, 5-dihydro-imidazol-4-one with different aldehydes through Erlenmeyer reaction and condensation methods. The newly synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, 1HNMR, 13C NMR and mass spectra

Type II phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase β is an integral signaling component of early T cell activation mechanisms

The early signaling events in T cell activation through CD3 receptor include a rapid change in intra cellular free calcium concentration and reorganization of actin cytoskeleton. Phosphatidylinositol 4-kinases (PtdIns 4-kinases) are implicated as key components in these early signaling events. The role of type II PtdIns 4-kinase β in CD3 receptor signaling was investigated with the help of short hairpin RNA sequences. Cross-linking of CD3 receptors on Jurkat T Cells with monoclonal antibodies showed an early increase in type II PtdIns 4-kinase activity and co-localization of type II PtdIns 4-kinase β with CD3 ζ. Transfection of Jurkat T Cells with shRNAs inhibited CD3 receptor mediated type II PtdIns 4-kinase activation with a concomitant reduction in intra cellular calcium release, suggesting a role for type II PtdIns 4-kinase β in CD3 receptor signal transduction. Knock-down of type II PtdIns 4-kinase β with shRNAs also correlated with a decrease in PtdIns 4-kinase activity in cytoskeleton fractions and reduced adhesion to matrigel surfaces. These results indicate that type II PtdIns 4-kinase β is a key component in early T cell activation signaling cascades

Scavenging Efficiency of Activated Charcoal of Sweet Corn Cop and Areca Nut Shell for Carcinogenic Salicylic Acid and Methylene Blue

Activated plant charcoal plays major role in adsorption chemistry and finds a huge application in industry, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and water treatment. Present work planned to utilize waste sweet corn cop and areca nut husk to prepare charcoal by chemical method. The charcoal was carbonized at 8000C using muffle furnace. The adsorption efficiency of the experimental activated carbon adsorbents towards the model organic compounds methylene blue and salicylic acid were assessed by UV-Vis spectrophotometric method. Experimental results clearly indicates that sweet corn cop charcoal recorded maximum absorption for salicylic acid 640ppm/g in compare to areca nut shell husk charcoal 480ppm/g. Sweet corn cop charcoal recorded optimum absorption for methylene blue 240 ppm/g in compare to areca nut shell husk charcoal 240ppm/g. The experimental charcoal projects noticeable results in scavenging salicylic acid and methylene blue from polluted samples. This experimental results and affordable cost the raw material made the sweet corn cop and areca nut husk activated carbon a powerful alternative for the adsorption of carcinogenic organic compounds salicylic acid and methylene blue